culmination of the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our prosperity, and what does that mean? lillian cunningham >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span's "q&a". >> c-span, where history unfolds daily. in 1979, c-span was created as a public service by america's cable television companies, and today, we continue to bring you unfiltered coverage of the white house, the supreme court, and public policy events in washington dc and around the country. c-span is brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. >> president trump posted participants of the 2000 -- 2018 onnded warrior project thursday. next, he delivers remarks to the group.

it is 25 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states, accompanied by dan nevin and micah linton. ♪ [applause]

president trump: please, thank you very much. i am thrilled to kick off of the wounded warrior project soldier ride and to be with you, folks. it is such an honor. i know some of you. we have dealing together for more than a year. i watched you get better and stronger. you are stronger than all of us. i want to thank you all for being here. thank you very much. [applause] on stage with me our wounded warriors from the air force, the army, the navy, and the marine corps and we salute you. we thank you, and we will forever be grateful for the sacrifices you may for all of us. really incredible sacrifices. the nation is sustained through the service and sacrifice of patriots. each of you as part of a long unbroken chain of courageous americans who have answered the call in every generation, defending our families, our freedoms, and are great american flag, which we love. [applause]

you are the backbone of our liberty. you are the protectors of our community. and you are the proud, beating heart of our magnificent nation. i want to welcome the many at -- many members of congress who joined us today to cheer on these incredible brave warriors and gives special recognition to members of my cabinet who are with us, secretary zinke he. where is ryan? ryan, stand up. thank you, ryan. [applause] secretary devos. betsy, thank you. [applause] and acting secretary robert wilkie, who is doing a great job over at the v.a. i can tell you that. thank you. [applause] and a great friend of mine and a

woman who i'm getting reports from everybody who is doing well, who is -- i'm always asking who is doing the best? and always, right in the top is linda mcmahon. thank you, linda. [applause] thank you. and bill, senator, stand up. bill, stand up. please. [applause] .a lot of good congressman. my friend, this is a brave one. [applause] these guys, they fight for you. they fight for you. you fought for them, the fight for you get that i can tell you, especially this group. we also want to thank -- these are amazing people. the military spouses and families. could the families and spouses please stand up next -- stand up? incredible people [applause] their love and dedication and support is really the foundation

of our military might. we give them a lot of credit. i especially want to thank mike remington and everyone at the wounded warrior project. mike has done an incredible job. mike has done 35 years leading soldiers as an infantry soldier, rising to the rank of infantry general. there is no more important job than supporting the warriors who have fought and bled to keep us free. i want to thank you very much. you are all wonderful. that's why we are fighting to reform the v.a. that's why we signed v.a. accountability law into

legislation -- legislation into law. they have and try to get that through for 30 years. accountability. we want accountability. they don't treat our vets good, we want them out. we could not do that before. that was a tough one get through and how we can get it through. and now we want choice. that is another when i wanted right from the beginning. we will get that done, too. i'm so happy with accountability. we have people that were terrible working there and they are gone. before, we could not do anything about them. we are very happy and we will have the finest choice program that you have ever seen. in fact, we turned down one program because we truly did not

think it was good enough. we could have gotten it past. i said no, not good enough. we will go for the real deal. so there will be choice. no more waiting in line for 12 weeks and you can get the doctors, you can't get what you need. it will be all about choice. it will be a really good one. these folks will be responsible for it. i want to thank you all. this month marks the fourth anniversary of the phoenix v.a. scandal, a horrible scandal. and we must make sure that this kind of tragedy never, ever happens again. we must always protect those who protect us. the heroes in this room today come from every background and every single walk of life. they are united by the sacred bonds of duty and loyalty that hold us together as one nation under god. your devotion to your endurance, and your unbreakable will are all a great inspiration to every single american.

president trump: each of you has endured life-changing injuries. each of you has conquered adversity with resolve, never giving in, never giving up, and never, ever backing down. have you ever given it to anybody here? i don't think so. this is not a stage of those i gave in. would you say? i don't think so. [applause] they don't know what that word, those words mean. they don't know. they are winners. as the nation and all nations watch you ride today, they will see the fighting warrior spirit that drives in your souls. by the way, our military, recent budget, general mattis asking -- $700 billion. never happened before. next year, $716 million and that is what we had to get, number one. even though we had to approve a couple of things we were not

happy with because of some folks were not cap -- not from the two are military. -- friendly to our military. $6 million for opioid. we will fight that opioid situation harder than anyone has fought it before. $6 billion for opioid and also for working with those that have unfortunately met with the opioids in a bad fashion. so we will spend a lot of of time, a lot of effort, now we have the money [applause] the money. that is great. [applause] our country can beat any hardship, meet any challenge, stronger and more determined, by

far, than ever before. our military will be stronger, more powerful than at any time ever before, better equipment. we make the greatest equipment in the world. it also means jobs. by the dashed by the way, far secondarily. jobs are benefit, but that is far secondarily. one warrior with us today is someone i met years ago. his name is dan nevins. it is incredible story embodies the long journey of recovery and triumph that each of you represent so beautiful -- beautifully. dan served as an infantry squad leader of task force to, in iraq are in 2004. while on combat mission, his

vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb. dan was severely injured, ultimately losing both legs. through countless surgeries, dan refused to give in. he is a fighter and he is a champion. [applause] and the wounded warrior project was there to help dan along his difficult journey, where he has had such tremendous success. dan is now a nationally recognized motivational speaker and works to serve other veterans and their families. i also know from personal experience that dan is a great golfer. how do you think that makes me feel? he really is. he is a really good golfer. [applause] so, dan, i want to thank you for

everything. you're an inspiration. everything you have done and will continue to do for our beloved nation, we love this nation, we are in your debt and we are in the internal debt of every single person on this stage. the wounded warriors, these are most incredible people, our most incredible people. as you set out on your soldier ride, all of america will be cheering you on watching. all of america will be celebrating your strength and your tenacity and your unwavering love of your country. my pledge to you, our normal warriors, is that my administration will support you and your loved ones and your amazing families every single day, now and always.

never going to forget. that is our sacred commitment. as dan comes to the podium, i want to again thank you all for honoring us with your presence today. thank you all and thank you all for the help, everybody. it's tremendous help. this group in particular has been of great help. may god bless you. may god bless our wounded warriors. may god bless our military. and may god bless america. thank you very much. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, mr. president. i remember the first time meeting you. it happened to be at one of your

golf parties. you are hosting a charitable fundraiser for the wounded warriors. you are meeting your guests and being a gracious host your i had all this pressure. i stepped up to the tv. i hit a beautiful shot. i remember the reality of the situation. maybe -- it dropped maybe two feet from the pen. under all the pressure of you watching, i just nailed it. then it was your turn and you hit your golf shot and it landed on a green well away from mine. [laughter] it gets better. then the ball released and started rolling right has to mine and almost in the hole. so great. it was a great shot. it was an honor to be on the tee box with you then and an even greater honor to share this stage with you now. these amazing warriors who have served the cause of freedom with distinction.

you're welcome. it is truly a privilege for me to begin to celebrate 15 years of wounded warrior project. it's an organization that has than semi much for me and countless other warriors and families through their life-saving programs and services that they provide every single day. soldier ride, what we are here for, this event is very near and dear to my heart. as it is for thousands of warriors who have graced the roads and bypass across the snake -- this great nation right here in our nation's capital and from sea to shining sea. this event has been changing and saving lives since its creation. as you heard, i am a wounded warrior.

i life was changed forever 13 years ago when an improvised explosive device detonated beneath my vehicle and shattered life as i knew it cap as a result of the bus, i lost my good friend. i also lost both legs below the knee. i live with the effects of traumatic brain injury. if it were for the quick action of my brothers on the battlefield and my brothers and sisters in the military medical community, i would not be standing here today. i'm so very grateful for all the love, support, and help i received my transition from the battlefield back to civilian life. i'm thoroughly grateful for how wounded warrior project intervened and showed up for me. from my first day at walter reed, to how they show up for me right now. these are the ones that helped me learn that disability did not define me, that i get to define what the rest of my life was going to be like. and they helped me learn that anything is possible when i put in the work.

i vividly remember my first soldier ride in 2006. i was a -- i was a recent deputy. i thought that i couldn't. and then, through their motivation, i put in the work. i finished the almost 400 miles with a new understanding of what was possible for my life. what was possible for everything that laid out as a journey to define my new normal. the wounded warrior project has been helping our nation's finest in the journey to heelys is 2003 when they delivered backpacks with comfort items to our wounded warriors in germany and across the nation. today, they deliver over a dozen life-changing and life-saving programs that deal with mental health, physical health and wellness, economic empowerment, and engagement with each other as warriors with our families

and our communities when we return home. they have invested more than $1.1 billion into the life-saving programs and services. they insure and they are ensuring that we have the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in our nations history. i couldn't be more proud to stand on this stage and represent this organization here today. and this is a message to the amazing wounded warrior project team, to the volunteers, to the technicians that make the impossible happened on each and everything will soldier, you are all my heroes. i love you. [applause]

and, to the warriors here today, thank you for everything you have done and for who you are and everything you continue to do and how you continue to serve and be an example of the very best our nation has to offer. mr. president, it has been an absolute honor to be here with you today. on behalf of myself, the warriors, and our families and the wounded warrior project, thank you for hosting us so graciously and for continuing to champion the men and women that are proudly -- it -- that have proudly defended this nation. thank you. [applause] now, i have the distinct honor to introduce the team that is wounded warrior project, an outstanding man, a great man, michael arrington. [applause]

>> thank you, dan. dan is the epitome of success in our warrior population. his service, his sacrifice, his inspiration, and his commitment to his fellow warriors. brothers and sisters in arms that are in our great thanks and deserve our very best efforts to assist in their continued recovery and rehabilitation. mr. president, thank you. on behalf of our wounded warriors and their families and their caregivers, and team and amazing partners, thank you for graciously hosting us as we celebrate and honor these brave americans and the families and caregivers that love and support them. these men and women are truly exceptional, strong, capable, and successful.

as the president said, there's strength and resilience in the face of an -- of insurmountable odds. it is an inspiration to all americans. it is a stark reminder in our responsibly to assist in the recovery. that is why we are at the white house today. what a great honor it is to do it we do, to provide support, healing, and hope to our wounded warriors, who have made are very freedoms we enjoy as americans a reality. mr. president, thank you for your leadership and taking the time to honor and empower our nation's finest and the work you have done and will continue to do on behalf of our military and our veteran communities. thank you, mr. president. [applause] president trump: i thought,

while we are here -- personal, hello. thank you very much for being here. such a great husband and a great family. we appreciate it and all you do. thank you very much. [applause] and i thought i could just bring up to the stage for a second our great representatives who have -- tell everybody, brian, if you could, for a second. you deserve to be up on this stage. you have worked so hard to get all of this done and we appreciate it. how about saying a word? >> i have the privilege to speak on behalf of congress.

[laughter] >> don't screw it up. [laughter] there are two men of combat here. maybe more. >> i did not recognize cap since he became a skinhead. [laughter] it is hard to speak for congress. not because we are different or because we are congress. but because when you are in the presence of folks like these, no word is adequate to express our appreciation, our humility between our fellow americans who sacrificed so much and for their families, who sacrificed so much to truly bless us all. from the founding of our nation until now, it has been those such as these who have made this country greatest in the world.

i will close by saying this. first, mr. president, it was an incredible state visit that you just hosted for president macron. and president macron, as he spoke to congress, emphasized that of all the challenges facing our world, without u.s. leadership, none of our -- it is not possible to have the success that we need. i would add to that, as i think both president trump and present macron, at some point, u.s. leadership becomes the u.s. military and forcing values on those who would seek to destroy us. as long as we have those such as these protecting our values, we will win. and more importantly, so will the cause of freedom, the cause of equality, the cause of the average man and woman being able to achieve his or her dreams. on behalf of that average man

and woman, i once my thank you -- i once more thank you all. [applause]